World Renowned Motivational Speaker Eric Thomas Set to Inspire N.C. A&T Students for the Upcoming Year

As part of the 2017-18 Welcome Week activities, the Division of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will host Dr. Eric “ET” Thomas, at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17, in Harrison Auditorium.

Known for his creative, high-energy and electrifying messages, Thomas will encourage and inspire students on how to succeed and remain motivated in the midst of obstacles and difficult times and offer a roadmap to being a successful college student.

While honing in on male empowerment, Thomas’ message will be one of global interest and application. Admission is free to N.C. A&T students with the presentation of their Aggie One card. Limited general admission tickets are also available.

Thomas is a critically acclaimed author, world-renowned motivational speaker, educator, entrepreneur, community activist, consultant, pastor, audible.com Audie Awards Finalist and the electrifying voice-over talent credited with propelling the Miami Heat to total victory in the NBA Finals in 2012.

Having taken what some would consider the long route in his personal educational pursuits (12 years to complete his undergraduate studies), the “Hip Hop Preacher,” as Thomas is affectionately known, combines his world experience with his Ph.D. in Education Administration to motivate others, particularly the tens of millions of followers he has amassed through a significant social media presence.

Drawing from his personal experiences, Thomas allows his life to be an “open book” from which radiates compelling and inspiring messages. Millions of followers have been able to apply the principles revealed in his award-nominated autobiography, “The Secret to Success,” which has scaled the social media charts at over 50 million hits.

His sophomore release, “Greatness Is Upon You,” featuring 24 life-changing fundamental precepts, has been met with equal success as has his most recent work, “Average Skill Phenomenal Will.”

Not only does Thomas inspire through his words of wisdom, but through his commitment to community activism he has established non-profits and programs that help facilitate and alleviate some of the issues he addresses.

His first non-profit, Break the Cycle; I Dare You was established following an award-nominated GED program he initiated, which in turn led to many other ministerial and educational endeavors.

The culmination of those efforts resulted in the development of “The Advantage Program” at Michigan State University in 2003. The program targets high-risk college students by improving their study habits and increasing their retention rates.

It was from that platform that Thomas created International Urban Education Consultants, a non-profit organization committed to finding solutions to closing the achievement gap in urban schools through goal-framing and reformation of perceptions in student learning.

As a consultant, Thomas has led his team in forming relationships with dozens of reputable organizations and Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, Quicken Loans, AT&T, Nike, Under Armour, New Balance, and UPS. He has also consulted for major universities and sports franchises in the MLB, NBA, NFL and MLS.

While unable to physically respond to the myriad of daily requests he receives, he is pointed in tackling those issues of accountability, mentorship and hope, one student, one parent, and one school at a time. To learn more about Thomas, visit, http://etinspires.com

For more information about this event or general admission, contact Amy Anderson at the Center for Academic Excellence at 336-334-7855.

About North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically black university. It is a land-grant, higher-research classified university by the Carnegie Foundation and constituent member of the University of North Carolina system. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891 and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.